Many people think of a wedding cocktail hour as a waiting period between the ceremony and reception where they can mingle, sip a drink, and nibble on appetizers to sustain their hunger before dinner. However, we see cocktail hour as an opportunity to entertain and delight your guests, creating a sense of excitement for the evening to come. Being in the luxury wedding and event business, we’ve helped create some incredible cocktail hours and we want to share some of our favorite sophisticated ways to entertain your guests during this time.

The second line march is a New Orleans tradition where a brass band leads a procession of your family, friends, wedding guests and any passerby who would like to join in. Parade participants dance their way down the parade route waving handkerchiefs or twirling decorative parasols in rhythm to the sound of the brass band. It’s a fun way to arrive in style to your cocktail hour location. Here’s a photo from a wedding we did for a San Diego couple who met in New Orleans and wanted a second line march to honor those roots. When asked about their most memorable wedding moments, both quickly cited the second line march.

A tasting table is always a hit at cocktail hour. Guests can try guided tastings of wine, champagne, local beers, whiskey, or tequila paired cheeses and charcuterie.

Drinks just taste better when they’re poured through a gorgeous ice sculpture luge. Professional ice sculptors can carve almost any shape you can dream up and add your initials for a personal touch.

One of the best ways to set the mood for your cocktail hour is through great live music (something we know a lot about). If you’re hiring a live band for your wedding reception, all or a few members of the band can also play during your cocktail hour. You could also surprise and delight your guests with unique live music options like a steel drum band, electric violinist, barbershop quartet, romantic latin guitar trio, or a classic jazz quartet playing Sinatra-style crooner music. We offer all of those options and more, so feel free to contact our event music and entertainment company for details.

Hire a live artist to capture a favorite moment at your wedding. It will not only be fun for your guests to watch the artist in action, it will also provide an incredible keepsake from your special day.

Entertain your guests at cocktail hour with an unexpected live dance performance. Options could include salsa dancers, flamenco dancers, belly dancers, ballroom dancers, Bollywood-style Indian dancers, hip hop dancers, cabaret dancers, Broadway-style musical numbers, a cheer squad, fire dancers, a flash mob and so much more. Contact our event music and entertainment company to learn more about choreographed dancers for your wedding.

A photo booth is always popular at a wedding and the photos are wonderful keepsakes for both you and your guests for years to come. There are fantastic companies you can hire to create jaw-dropping custom photo booth backdrops– whether you want a floral wall with a neon sign, luxurious drapery, vintage wallpaper, or a custom step and repeat branded with your names and wedding date. Our event music and entertainment company can provide highly-technical, social media connected photography systems for your photo booth that can even be displayed in a slideshow in real-time at your wedding. Contact us for details!

Signature cocktails can set the tone of your cocktail hour just as much as the reception décor, music and food. The type of liquor, the flavors, color and garnishes can all help enhance your wedding palette and vibe. The best part about choosing a specialty cocktail is you don't have to pick just one. You and your spouse can each choose a signature cocktail based on your preferences and then give them fun names.

Create inviting lounge spaces for your guests to mingle. Whether you opt for vintage or contemporary furniture, the best wedding lounges almost always involve a comfy couch, a couple of unique side chairs and accent pieces that are cohesive with the rest of your decor. Add a rug, flowers and some candles and you’ve got a comfy and photo-worthy lounge area. Ask us about furniture rentals with the help of our highly-rated vendor partners.

Instead of a traditional guest book, consider a more interactive alternative. One idea we love is to ask your guests for advice, a date-night idea or to leave a personal note. They can drop it into a beautiful box or in sealed envelopes for you to open later.

Set up a slide show of your love story that can loop in the background during your cocktail hour. You can include photos and/or videos from your childhood, favorite moments as a couple and images of good times with your family and friends. One of our favorite ways to display these wedding slideshows for our clients is with “floating” LED screens surrounded by drapery throughout the cocktail area or with a large projector screen set up in a lounge area with vintage or contemporary furniture.

If you’re a cigar aficionado, a cigar bar with torcedores, highly skilled and specifically trained cigar rollers, could be a fun option for your cocktail hour. The torcedores handcraft cigars on the spot, so your guests can watch them work while learning about cigar-making. For an extra special touch, you could order custom cigar wrappers or matchbooks from Etsy with your name or wedding date on them.

There’s nothing more celebratory than serving Champagne from a Champagne tower. This is an elegant way to end cocktail hour so your guests can have a glass of champagne ready when the toasts begin.

Bonnie Foster Productions offers world-class music and entertainment services for luxury weddings and events. We team up with the best vendor partners in the wedding industry to ensure your special day exceeds your expectations. Contact us regarding your rehearsal dinner, ceremony, cocktail hour or reception. We are based in Southern California and travel globally.

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